History

ESNDC has been your partner in the East Side community for 40 years.

In the 1970s, residents who lived on the East Side of St. Paul saw jobs disappear as 3M, Whirlpool and Hamm’s Brewery closed, forcing many residents out of the neighborhood. Aging homes fell into disrepair and small businesses failed. People who were committed to the area bonded together in 1979 to form East Side Neighborhood Development Company (ESNDC) to address the downward turn in their once vibrant community.

Since that time, the role of ESNDC has evolved over the years. The organization has operated as a real estate broker, a housing developer, a landlord and a commercial developer.

During the Great Recession, ESNDC recognized the market was changing and developed new strategies to address economic decline in the area. The organization sold its real estate holdings and redefined how it would serve the community and neighborhood.

Today, the Eastside is home to a culturally diverse population of Asian American (mostly Hmong), Caucasian, African American and Latino residents. By working with public, private and other nonprofit partners, ESNDC is committed to positive change by connecting the people who work and live here to the resources they need to strengthen the community.

ESNDC has focused on creating a vibrant “Mainstreet” small business district on Payne Avenue surrounded by healthy families and affordable housing where people can work, live and play.